Early Tuesday, Bellefontaine police responded to the Love’s Travel Stop on State Route 540 after an employee reported there was a suspicious man there.
Just before 4:00 AM, officers were dispatched following a complaint that a man had entered the store asking for bank account information.
The man, later identified as 24-year-old Ali Salazar, reportedly wanted to use the store employee’s bank account to send money via Zelle.
When officers spoke with Salazar, he explained he was out of gas and unable to pay for fuel except through Zelle, because he didn’t have any money on him.
Salazar presented identification from Venezuela but did not have a U.S. driver’s license or Social Security number.
He provided paperwork indicating he had been released on parole by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), valid through March 2025.
After further communication with ICE, authorities learned that Salazar was not legally authorized to remain in the United States.
He was taken into custody and transported to the Logan County Jail, where ICE took custody of him on Wednesday.
